Hand-operated devices, such as door knobs, handles and hand pulls, are well known in the prior art for opening doors. Although these devices are easy to use, they are susceptible to unsanitary conditions due to contamination by many substances, including harmful bacteria and other germs. Once contaminated, usually by transfer from people's hands, these hand-operated devices become a perfect vehicle for transmitting harmful contaminants to other people by hand contact. Typically, most unsanitary door openers are found in public places, such as public restrooms.
Several attempts have been made in the prior art to develop sanitary door handles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,239 to Campbell et al., issued Apr. 4, 1989, provides a sanitary door opening assembly in the form of a U-shaped bracket which is disposed about the outer side edge of a door and a hook mounted to one surface of the bracket. The hook is adapted to receive a human forearm to pull the door open. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,557 to Manson et al., issued Sep. 18, 2001, another sanitary door handle assembly is disclosed, also having a hook-like handle which is mounted to the face of the door such that the forearm of a person can engage the hook like handle in order to open the door. One disadvantage of such door hooks is that pulling open a door with one's elbow can cause discomfort. Further, the position of such a door hook allows a person to grab the door hook with his/her hand, thereby contaminating the door hook. Once contaminated, a person can transfer contaminants to his/her body, particularly when the elbow or forearm is not covered by clothing.
A less elaborate door opener mounted to the side of a door is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,391,674 to Burleigh, issued Jul. 9, 1968. Burleigh provides an animal operated door opening device in the form of a Z-bent sheet metal plate having a central portion, an outer lateral panel and an inner securement flange which is mounted to the side of a door at a position where an animal's snout can contact the lower free comer of the outer lateral panel. The same drawbacks discussed with respect to the Campbell and Manson patents are found in Burleigh's animal-operated door opener.
Door openers which do not utilize a person's hand or arm have been described in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 642,661 to Adams, issued Feb. 6, 1900, U.S. Pat. No. 842,081 to Clark, issued Jan. 22, 1907 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,337,384 to Allen, issued Apr. 20, 1920 to Allen, all disclose simple hooks screw-mounted to the bottom of a screen door which allow the door to be opened by a person's foot. An inherent defect in these door openers is that they are capable only of opening light-weight doors. The screw mounted hooks are not of sufficient strength to open heavy doors, such as public bathroom doors. In addition, such simple hooks do not allow an adult foot to sufficiently engage the hook to open a heavier styled door.
Despite the efforts of the prior art, a need still exists for a sanitary door opener which can be operated without contact by a person's hand or arm. Such a sanitary door opener should be adapted for operation by a person's foot. In addition, such a sanitary door opener should be designed to flex and create tension between the user's shoe and the opener. Moreover, such a sanitary door opener should be of sufficient strength to open all types of doors, including heavy doors such as public restroom doors. Further, such a sanitary door opener should be inexpensive to manufacture, simple to install and easy to use.